"We're alive again! Finally alive!"
Kiyosuke and Asuma leaned back in the hot springs, both letting out long, satisfied sighs. The exhaustion of the past three days felt like it had melted away with the steam.
Shinku was lying off to the side, soaking in the warmth and smiling.
"How is it? Feels great, right?"
"Yeah, not bad. If only we had some ice-cold drinks, it'd be perfect," Asuma replied with a grin.
"Keep dreaming. This hot spring doesn't offer that kind of service," Shinku said. Then he tilted his head.
"Also… Jiraiya-sama, why are you here?"
Kiyosuke narrowed his eyes toward the white-haired man sipping sake at the edge of the pool.
"What's wrong? I can't come enjoy the hot springs too?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully nosy for a kid. Even Orochimaru doesn't nag this much."
No way. You're definitely here to peep!
"Just curious," Kiyosuke said casually. "I mean, a big shot like you taking time off? That's pretty surprising."
"Don't lump me in with that shut-in, Orochimaru," Jiraiya scoffed.
"I'm a very busy sage, I'll have you know. But you—yeah, you. Third's brat. That look in your eye… Are you thinking of peeking?"
Jiraiya, as expected of the most perverted of the Three Legendary Sannin, immediately saw through Asuma's thoughts. With years of experience, he could read that gaze—three parts desire, three parts fear, and four parts anticipation. He himself had once been young and reckless… only the fear had faded with age.
Asuma's face turned bright red.
"W-What? No way!"
"Oh, please. I've been around the block. And don't forget, your old man wasn't exactly pure back in the day either. Your older brother? His first time spying was with me."
Jiraiya let out a nostalgic sigh, remembering the reckless days of youth.
Ah, the days of running under the sunset… that was his fading youth!
But no—tonight, he would reclaim it!
"No way! My dad and my brother are nothing like you!" Asuma retorted, flustered.
"Dad's always been a model husband, and my brother's a straight-laced guy. He even warned me not to hang around some white-haired pervert named Jiraiya!"
Come to think of it… something feels off…
"Don't be fooled by appearances, kid. You're still too young to understand. Hahaha… You'll get it when you're older."
Jiraiya smirked to himself. He had plenty of dirt on his old master—Third's black history was still tucked safely away. The moment that old man stepped down, Jiraiya would leak it all and bring about his social death.
Yeah… maybe throw in Orochimaru while he's at it.
Shinku cleared his throat loudly.
"Jiraiya-sama, they're still kids. Maybe you shouldn't fill their heads with… that kind of stuff."
"Ahahaha! Just kidding! Relax." He waved it off.
"By the way… Kiyosuke, right? How's Orochimaru as a teacher?"
"He's great. Answers any question I ask, and he teaches me all sorts of ninjutsu."
Though… he's also obsessed with weird experiments. Really twisted stuff. And he has a bad habit of vanishing for days on end.
"Hmm. I guess that guy isn't so bad after all," Jiraiya muttered, taking another sip of sake, his cheeks rosy. He chatted idly with them—running into them today had been pure coincidence. But teasing Third's brat was surprisingly fun.
Once they'd soaked enough, the group got out of the spring. Shinku told them to go have a big meal—his treat.
After dinner, they each headed home...
...
Ryūchi Cave
Ichikishimahime looked at the visitor with curious eyes.
"Little Kiyosuke, what brings you here? Are you ready to learn Sage Mode?"
"Not yet. I wanted to ask—do you happen to have any small, human-speaking snakes? Preferably ones with normal human-level eyesight."
"We do… but what for?" Her curiosity grew.
"I'll take two!" Kiyosuke declared. "I need them for the exam. If they help me out, I'll owe you a big one."
"So you're planning to cheat?" Ichikishimahime chuckled. "Well, it's not like I mind… but you'll have to bring me something fun in return."
"Deal! If I pass, I'll give you a rare edition manga from my collection!"
"Alright. Follow me."
...
Summer, Year 43 of the Hidden Leaf
The Chūnin Exams officially begin.
This year's exams were co-hosted by Konohagakure and its allies—Sunagakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure. These were villages with relatively good diplomatic ties.
Of the Five Great Nations, Konoha and Sunagakure remained on friendly terms. Iwagakure and Kumogakure were a bit hostile. Kirigakure, meanwhile, remained closed off from the outside world, ignoring such events entirely.
Of course, the Chūnin Exams weren't the only way to become a Chūnin—just the most common. They were typically held once a year. Fail this time, and you'd have to go back to another year of D-rank missions and try again next year.
Kiyosuke yawned as he walked toward the exam venue.
Asuma had excitedly dragged him out of bed at dawn—acting like they were heading into battle, not a written exam.
"Why are you so calm about this?" Asuma asked, slightly annoyed.
"Because I know I'll pass. Here, take this." Kiyosuke pulled two small snakes from his pocket and handed one each to Kurenai and Asuma.
"Kurenai one is for copying answers. Asuma, this will solve all our problems."
"Oh man, this is amazing! If my old man finds out I failed the first round, he'd kill me! You're a lifesaver, best friend!" Asuma held the little snake like it was a treasure.
Kurenai looked slightly exasperated.
"This is what you get for not paying attention in class."
Still, he didn't refuse. After all… what if there were questions he didn't know?
...
Inside the Konoha Exam Hall
Genin from every village gathered in one place. Though the number from each village varied, the total came to over three or four hundred.
Clearly, the first round would eliminate a huge number.
"There's so many people. At least sixty or seventy in our room alone," Kurenai whispered, eyeing the hostile stares from the other villages' genin.
The tension was thick. Each group sat in clusters, glaring at the others. Were it not for the rules prohibiting fighting, they probably would've started brawling already.
Every village had its own share of grudges—some deeper than others. Even Konoha and its ally Sunagakure were no exception. If it came down to stabbing each other in the back… no one would hold back.
Kiyosuke spotted a familiar face.
"Wait—is that Obito? You're on time?!"
The King of Tardiness… actually wasn't late? That alone was a miracle.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate me! I can be punctual!" Obito boasted proudly.
Kakashi, standing nearby, ruined the moment.
"If Rin hadn't gone to wake you up, you'd have shown up this afternoon."
Obito froze, his face twitching.
Okay, fine. That was true.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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